For the Sake of Family: Extras
by NerdyChicksHaveMoreFun
Summary: Sneak-peeks, deleted scenes, bonus content, AUs, fluff, angsts, and possible smut pertaining to the fanfic "For the Sake of Family". First up: Mr. Gold and his wolf-dog companion, Faolan, and their lives and routines during the cursed years in Storybrooke. (Possibly coming soon: deleted scenes from chapter 5). Rated M because, well, it's Rumple and Ellyn.
1. Summary

Summary:

Hello all, NerdyChicks here again.

If you follow my OUAT story, "For the Sake of Family", then you might remember hearing me mention a deleted scenes spinoff for it. This would be that spin off.

If you don't follow my OUAT story, then some of these stories aren't going to make much sense to you, so to make things less confusing, here's the system I'm going to use: A * in front of the chapter title means that you pretty much have to know what happens in the original fanfic to understand that particular one-shot. No * and you're good to go as-is. (If I forget to do this, I apologize in advance).

This is pretty much a collection of all the things I right down that don't make it into the story, whether for plot conflicts or other reasons. Mostly one-shots, some might be multiple-shots. No guarantees either way; this is just something fun to do to get the writing juices flowing.

If you ever wonder why I'm not updating FTSOF, you can hold out hope I'm working on this. You may not be correct, but you can still hope.

I'll _try_ to tell you in advance which installments have possible spoilers, but seeing as my plot ideas are always shifting, that might be tricky. What I plan on including later on in the original story one minute might not actually end up being there. So in regards to spoilers, read at your own risk.

Enjoy and good luck.


	2. An Imp's Best Friend

**A/N: Just a heads up, the name you might run into trouble with is pronounced Fway-lin. **

**Possible spoiler, haven't decided yet. If it is, it's a long way off (as you'll figure out by the setting).**

**First up in For the Sake of Family's extras. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**An Imp's Best Friend**

Mr. Gold was a feared man around Storybrooke. Owning most of the buildings in town meant that he had power over most people; even though it hadn't happened so far, it was an unspoken rule that someone who got on his bad side would suffer some consequence-from an increase in rent, which was most likely, to the much more drastic but still possible chance that they could and be evicted from their place of dwelling and banned from most stores and establishments.

The other reason Gold was feared was because of the giant dog that never seemed to leave his side.

Gold wasn't an overly tall man, but a dog whose head came halfway up his torso was still extraordinarily large by any standards. Most people thought it not even a dog; it was much too large, it's eyes the color molten gold instead of a dog's orange-brown, and it's features were too close to a wolf's. Alot of people assumed that, because of this, the animal was a half-breed, the result of a dog crossed with it's larger cousin. A small group of citizens whispered that it was actually a wolf, somehow tamed enough to be kept as a pet.

Though there were different theories on the subject, neither of these minorities could explain the beast's coloring. It's coat was roan, almost red in some light, and was accented by black along its spine, eyebrows, tail-tip and paws. That shut up the ones who thought it was once a feral wolf; no wild canine had that color without some amount of dog crossed in, and no wild wolf was ever known to grow that big.

The reason that people were wary of the beast was not just it's looks; the she-wolf had the personality to match. Among other things, it was extremely protective of it's owner. Anybody who got too close to the pawnbroker got a warning growl, a sound that would put a pitbull to shame, and if some senseless fool ignored it, a snap of those mighty jaws dangerously close to a finger would get the message across. Very few people had yet been unwise enough to push the animal's patience beyond that.

This sequence did, however, vary depending on the person; some got an angry growl when they approached Gold, while others got nothing more than a bored, irritated woof. With certain people, the beast went right to snapping; one example of this was Mayor Regina, who, without fail, always got a savage snarling growl and barred teeth when in the vicinity.

Besides being overly territorial of it's human companion, the wolf-dog was a terror in general. One of it's main joys in life seemed to be scaring the citizens of the small Maine town. This was usually accomplished by jumping out at passersby, lunging at them and barking loudly. Though the dog never jumped up on anyone or caused them serious harm in this, the target almost always jumped, sometimes quite dramatically, and many things were dropped over the years (including dignity; several men gave high-pitched squeals during this little game). Often, after having succeeded in terrifying a victim, the wolf gave yipping barks that sounded oddly like laughter, and that didn't help to quiet the rumors about her.

At Granny's, Faolan-the name meant "little wolf", though there was nothing small about her- would occasionally sit next to Gold's booth, guarding him and refusing to let Ruby or Gran deliver his hamburger without first giving her a chunk of food, (much to the amusement of the other patrons). Once, Gran had grown tired of the game and come to the table with the plate of food in one hand and a broom in the other. When Faolan mirrored the woman's movements, baring her way to the booth, the elderly woman had wound up and whacked the gigantic dog right in the face with the bristles. The animal had froze in place, an astounded look somehow painted on it's face, before laying back it's ears and growling it's Regina growl, fangs bared. Gold was quick to order it down, and the wolf had glared at him, but grown silent.

However, when Granny extended her hand to place the plate on the table, Faolan retaliated by head-butted the limb, sended the plate clattering to the ground where she consumed her master's hamburger in one bite. Some of the other customers laughed, and received a sharp look from Gold, quieting them the way the command had for the wolf.

This example of disobedience was another thing that worried the townspeople about the beast: that Gold seemed to have only a little bit of sway over Faolan's actions. There were times where she would obey his orders instantly and without question, but there were also times where they were ignored completely, or when the animal would giving that laughing yip and do the exact opposite. It wasn't even unheard of for the pawnbroker to give a command that was met with no action other than an irritated growl. Which one of these reactions was received was a toss of the dice, and it didn't calm anyone's fears about just how safe it was to have Faolan unleashed and in public.

There were a handful of reasons why no one voiced these opinions. One was that the animal had, despite it's tendency to growl and-or snap, never harmed an innocent citizen of the town. Not to say that she had never harmed anyone; once a drunkard had come stumbling into Granny's, (eliciting a low growl from Faolan) waving a beer bottle and demanding food and alcohol despite the fact that the diner had a "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Common Sense, No Service" policy, and despite the fact that he didn't seem to have a way to pay for any of it.

His ranting and raving hadn't sat right with most of the other patrons, but seeing as how the angry drunk was nearly six foot tall, no one saw in their best interest to intervene. After several minutes, though, with Faolan's growls growing ever louder, Mr. Gold was thoroughly annoyed.

His cold, calm voice cut through the air. "You may not realize this, dearie, but some of us are trying to eat."

"Shtay outta it, old man." The drunk had snapped, and Faolan's growls had crescendoed as she rose to her feet.

Gold had stared at the man with ice cold eyes. "Faolan, remove him." he had said simply, and it seemed the wolf-dog had been waiting for those words, because the second they were uttered Faolan was across the room, taking a flying leap and bowling the man over. Before anyone could react, the dog had clamped its jaws around the man's wrist and was dragging him towards the door. Mr. Gold, calm as ever, strode over and held the door open for his companion, as though this was the kind of thing that happened every day. Sheriff Graham had arrived to find a man passed out on the sidewalk in front of the diner, wrist bleeding, and Faolan calming guarding the doors to the building.

The only other time that it was known to the public that the wolf actually harmed anyone was the case of the unfortunate soul who tried to mug Mr. Gold. Not much was known about that particular incident, other than that the pawnbroker said he was held up by a young man with a knife while crossing from his shop to his car, and other than the fact that said young man was emitted to the ER and had to have ten stitches in his arm.

Despite those events, no effort was ever made to ban the beast from any public place. If anything, the animal's intimidation factor helped to keep the peace; not many people would stir up trouble with the raucous-hating wolf nearby. Acouple people were concerned about how safe the dog was around children. After all, a dog who growled at grown-ups simply for being near it probably wouldn't have the patience for intrusive and rough children. This was one common fear that was actually soothed.

It was a real shock to the people. One day that was unextraordinary from all the others, Faolan was napping outside the pawnshop, when a toddler got too far ahead of it's mother and stopped to pet the "doggie". The mother was horrified, and rightly so; only three people in the town had ever pet Faolan and gotten away safely- Graham, Henry, and Gold- and even these were allowed only a companionable pat on the flank, shoulder or head.

So she had dropped her diaper bag and ran to the child, only to find that Faolan (who was taller than child, even laying down) was allowing the small human's fumbling and not-so-gentle attempts at petting. Gold emerged onto the sidewalk just as a the toddler was tugging rather roughly on Faolan's ears, and whilst Faolan was shooting the astounded mother a pleading look.

"She's… she's actually doing quite good with him." The mother had mumbled to Gold after a second of watching the pair.

"She has a soft spot for kids." Gold had replied softly.

"She won't bite him, will she?"

"There's nothing the lad could do that would lead to that."

It seemed 'the lad' was going to test this theory, because he climbed onto Faolan's back and kicked her sides like a cowboy on a horse. "Giddy-up, doggie!"

"Richard sto-" the now-panicking mother had began, but stopped short as the dog gave what could only be described as a long-suffering sigh and rose to her feet. She slowly walked to the end of the block and back, careful not to move or turn overly fast and knock the boy off, much to the shock of everyone in sight (many of whom immediately took picture or video on their phones).

It was one of the short side-stories in the paper, and when Faolan had seen one of the pictures on the Sunday paper of one of Granny's customers, she had ripped the tabloid from his hands and promptly shredded it, to the great amusement of Gold. For months after, the huge wolf-dog never failed to give Sidney the Regina-growl whenever he was in sight.

One of the things the townspeople didn't know was how much the dog helped Gold's mood. They thought Gold was grumpy and unsocial as he was, but very rarely had they ever seen him as grumpy and unsocial as he was capable of being, and this was largely due to Faolan. When he was frustrated and angry, on the verge of throwing things just to release pent-up emotion, he would feel Faolan leaning slightly against his good leg, and he would look down to see a patient, expectant look on the animal's face. If that didn't calm him down, though, she would go and lay in front of the door so no one would open it and walk in on the little display. In moments where a thought of Bae or Belle popped into his head, pausing him as he sat on a stool behind the pawnshop counter, she would put her massive head on his lap or lean back against his good leg simply to comfort him. At night when dreams had him tossing and turning, or when he would wake up shaking from a nightmare, a gigantic lupine head would rest on his shoulder, giving him some sense of contact with another living thing to help soothe those irrational fears that one faces in times like those. No one ever knew any of this, however, so public opinion of the wolf didn't have the chance to improve because of it.

Nor did public opinion improve when the curse was broken. Some time after Emma had first broken it, a conversation took place; the likes of which no one else in the world was likely to have ever had.

A woman was lounged in a rocking chair near the front desk of the pawn shop. She was dressed in a blue-black overcoat that came to her ankles, with silver-rimmed dark blue clothes underneath and a howling-wolf-shaped pendant swinging from her neck. She had dark, almost black eyes, light brown hair, and a haughty expression on her face, and was decidedly unhappy with the sharply-dressed man behind the counter.

"Purina, Rumple!" she grumbled, as she had been for several minutes now.

"I know." the ex-spinner responded tiredly.

"Twenty-eight years, Rumple!"

"Yes, I know."

"Purina! For twenty-eight years!"

"How many times must I say I know?

"You couldn't even bother to get that fancy FreshPet crap!"

Gold sighed heavily. "Yes, I am aware. What must I do to make up for it?"

Ellyn Jones studied him for a second. "Get your wallet. You're buying me lunch.

"Fine."

"For a week."

"Yes, yes, as you wish."

Rumpelstiltskin retrieved his wallet from the countertop and held the door open for his companion. He was just starting to think she would give him a break from mentioning the eating arrangements of the last almost-three decades.

Then, she scoffed to herself, "Purina."

Gold rolled his eyes. "Ellie, _I know_."

Despite his tone, he was smiling.


	3. Third Star To The Right: Oneshot Version

**A/N: Remember when I mentioned AUs and crossovers? Well, here's one. I wrote it a while ago (like, almost a year) for a fanfic crossover contest on Wattpad (it was one of ten winners, and the only one to do the suggested OUAT/POTC crossover, which I thought was a brilliant idea). It's honestly not my best work, as there was a deadline and I was writing to the literal last minute to finish it, which makes the end very rushed. I believe there was also a word count limit, so there was also alot of stuff I cut out of the end that would've almost made up for how rushed it felt.**

**Anyway, here's some Jones family bonding. Writing this did give me an idea for a multi-shot minific that I might do later with this idea (ie, Killian and Ellyn being present for all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies). Ergo the phrase 'oneshot version' tacked onto the end of the story's name.**

**Just a heads up that, because of this being written for Wattpad, I kinda skirted around there being any mention of Ellyn ever being anything but distant acquaintances with Rumplestiltskin, because that'd be alittle confusing and random for an audience whose never read For the Sake of Family. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Third Star to the Right: Oneshot Version**

A pair of pirates stood on the Storybrooke docks, watching the calm waters reflect the stars, lost in thought. One was dark-haired and blue-eyed, a dashing young man of about two hundred years. The other was a woman, older in appearance; she often joked that her eyes were as black as her soul.

Perhaps it was good thing for the citizens of Storybrooke that her eyes were, in fact, dark brown.

Killian Jones was contemplating a life spent on the sea. His father had abandoned them, his brothers had died, his love had been killed, and each time the stormy waters had slowly healed helped to heal the wound. He wanted his connection to that life- to his family, to that freedom- back. He wanted his ship.

At his side, Ellyn Davina Jones was also contemplating a life tied to the sea. She was considerably less enamored with it, but she wasn't going to let him go alone. She'd lost him to Neverland through a portal once; she wasn't keen to repeat it. And, if he was going to start sailing on the Roger again, she was going to need her Dutchman to keep up.

"It'll be simple." The younger Jones said, though doubtfully.

Ellyn Davina, with her usual subtly, replied, "When hell freezes over." She drew a small bean from her pocket. It was blue-green and glowed softly; the Dutchman's captain could faintly sense the magic humming through it. "Something has gone wrong every time I've used one of these."

Killian nodded grimly. "Aye, to me as well."

"We're still gonna do it, aren't we?"

The pirate nodded once in answer, then said, "Are you still going to insist on coming?"

Ellyn sighed. "Aye."

Then she tossed the bean into the water. The familiar blue-green vortex opened up, wind suddenly wiping around them, roaring as it tried to push them into the portal.

Killian looked to his older sister. Ellyn looked to her baby brother.

They jumped as one, the portal closing several seconds after they disappeared down it.

Killian was up first, hauling himself to his feet and looking around. They were on a dock; to their right was a black-hulled ship, and straight ahead was a ramshackle city the likes of which Hook had never seen. It seemed to be made largely of wrecked ships, layers of the city stacked in some places like a mountain that sparkled with torchlight.

Ellyn pushed herself to her feet, taking in the sight with barely-hidden awe, uneased that she didn't recognize it; she'd sailed many realms in her time bound to the Dutchman, and seen most port cities of worth- one of which this obviously was. They weren't anywhere she was familiar with, and it made her uncomfortable.

So she did what she normally did when she was uncomfortable with a situation: she called her magic.

It responded, but sluggishly, the way it had when when magic was first returned to Storybrooke and more focus and energy was needed to control it. She concentrated, and got the sea's waves to rise higher, only to break violently against the hull of the black ship. It was meant merely as an experiment, and gave her an idea of what her limits were in this land.

"Any idea where we are, Davey?"

Ellyn didn't even try to chatsy him for using the hated nickname; she'd learned long ago that her brothers were- in the case of Liam and Tor, had been- somewhat attached to it. It had been in their honor when she started using it as her pirating alias.

"None whatsoever, Ian. But the magic here is different, so it isn't Mysthaven or Mysthaven-adjacent."

Hook looked around again, jaw firmly clamped shut and a muscle working there; he was notably annoyed with portals and their unreliability.

"How in the seven hells did this even happen?" he growled.

Ellyn Davina looked around. "What were you thinking of when we jumped through?"

"The Enchanted Forest."

"Specifically? Or were you thinking of the Jolly Roger?"

Killian had no reply for that. He had been thinking of his ship, because that's where he wanted to be taken. His silence was the only answer his sister needed.

"Well, there's your answer. You were thinking of your ship, and being a pirate, I suspect, and that's what the portal cued off of."

"So where are we, then?" Hook demanded.

"Somewhere piratey. I think the city made of wrecked ships would've made that obvious."

Killian shot his sister a dark look for the sarcasm, and was met with a cheeky grin.

"Then throw in the other bean and let's go back."

Ellyn's amusement fell. "I don't think that's a good idea. Magic works differently here, and if we go through without something to focus our destination, we've no way of solidly guaranteeing where we get sent." She made a show of shuddering. "I'd rather not end up in Narnia again. To cold for my tastes."

"And where, pray tell, would we find a focuser?"

"Give me a minute. I'll see if I can sense anything."

Davey Jones leaned against a dock post and closed her eyes. In the Enchanted Forest, she could sense the Dark One from a mile away; he radiated dark magic. Here, though, she had to concentrate more, pushing a small amount of her magic out to try and brush against the power any other magic would give off. She didn't have to go very far; her eyes snapped open in seconds, and she looked over her shoulder at the black-hulled ship.

"Find something?" Hook asked, noticing the change in demeanor.

"Someone. I'll be right back." Then she was gone in a swirl of near-black smoke.

Tia Dalma opened her eyes to watch the stranger who'd appeared outside her cell. She was dressed in a fine dark-blue cloak, a broad-rimmed hat pulled low over dark eyes and a sword at her hip. The ease with which she stood on the rocking ship told of someone used to the sea.

"A stranger comes to visit me in my cell." Tia said. "One bein' not of this world."

Ellyn was quiet for a moment, trying to decide how to play this. She didn't know if this person, who held in her the flicker of caged magic, would see a newly-appeared pirate as friend or foe.

"And one who wishes to be gone from it."

"I sense you've already gone from it, and returned again." Tia said. "Not many who touch death stand in the world of the livin'."

The pirate went rigid; it was still a sore subject. "I meant I wish to be gone from this realm, not from life." 'Something I suspect you already knew.' she thought bitterly.

"Ah, a wayward traveler." Tia smiled, revealing yellow teeth. "By what way did you come to this world?"

"A bean, enchanted to allow travel between the realms. I have a way home, but I need something to focus the bean's magic."

Though subtle, it was the proposal of a deal, something they both new. Tia studied her for a moment. "I know of something that can aid you. A compass carried by a man named Jack Sparrow, that points to what you desire most."

Now it was Ellyn's turn to study Tia. "I'd thank you for the information, but everything comes with a price. What's the cost of this?"

Dalma smiled again. "Remember who be givin' you help now, and who you be givin' help to in the future."

'A favor, then'. Ellyn thought. Outwardly, she reached a hand through the bars and said, "It's a deal, then. Who do I have the pleasure of doing business with?" Perhaps, if she had a name, she could garner some information about the person to whom she was now indebted.

"I have bore'n many names, but I be known to the pirates as Tia Dalma. What of you?"

"Many names, as well. The one you're most likely to know is Captain Davina Jones. Davey Jones, in some worlds."

Tia drew back, emotions flashing through her eyes, and when she spoke, her voice was sharp. "You be keeping that to yourself, child. This world already knows a man by that name, and he's not one you wish to trifle with."

Ellyn Davina Jones drew herself up to her full height, not liking the tone; she'd killed men for less. "I'll keep nothing to myself. For centuries I was bound to the Dutchman, and I'm going to call myself the captain of it if I want to."

Inwardly, though, both women were reflecting on enchanted compasses, enslaved soul-ferrying captains, and alternate realities.

"Good luck then, Davey Jones." Tia said, albeit coldly. "You be needin' it."

* * *

Jack Sparrow touched the coin hanging from his bandanna as though to rip it free, but dropped his hand and swaggered forward.

"Might I point out that we are still short one pirate lord, and I'm content as a cucumber to wait until Sao Feng joins us." he said, speaking to the pirate lords seated around an oblong oval table. His hesitance had less to do with tradition and much more to do with his own interests.

"Sao Feng is dead." Elizabeth Swann declared, appearing in the doorway to the room, a half-dozen of her crewman flanking her. All heads turned in her direction, and so didn't notice the pair of pirates appear in the shadows near the opposite end of the table. As shouts erupted across the room, Elizabeth drew her sword and plunged it into a nearby globe, in the area that marked the South China Sea. "He fell to the Flying Dutchman."

"And made you captain? They're just giving the bloody title away now." Jack grumbled over the fray.

"Listen!" Elizebeth shouted, somehow louder than the ruckus around her. The room quieted somewhat. "Our location has been betrayed. Jones is under the command of Lord Beckett, and they're on their way here."

Ellyn Davina Jones stepped from the shadows as more shouts erupted, Killian at her side, waiting calmly to be noticed. It took only seconds; several people jumped nearly out of thier skins. It was astonishing, really, how quickly pistols were out and pointed at the two Jones.

"And who in the devil are you?" Barbossa demanded, almost exactly opposite the length of the table from her.

"Ironically enough, the devil, if you believe some stories." Ellyn said, amused. She made a show of looking around at the various weapons pointed at her. "Are you going to use those, or are you just going to point them? Because you're wasting time otherwise."

Acouple of the lords exchanged looks with each other, cautioned by her brazenness. Then, almost as one, they pulled their triggers.

The crack of gunshots echoed through the cluttered room, but it was not followed by the sound of bodies hitting the floor. Though Hook flinched, the bullets never reached them, the balls of lead hovering in the air in front of the hand Davey had held up. The room was stunned into silence, and only watched as the little group of projectiles started to reposition themselves, spreading out so that they hovered at angles to the people who had fired them, ready to be sent zipping back.

"Witchcraft." one of the lords- Jocord- hissed.

"I would think that was obvious." came the dry response. Seconds stretched on.

"Are you going to use those or are you just going to point them?" Jack asked, flicking a hand in the direction of the bullets. He was one of the few who hadn't drawn a pistol at Hook and Davey's appearance. "Because you're wasting time otherwise."

Ellyn sweeped a deliberate gaze up and down the captain, then let the lead bullets go wherever gravity might take them. "Reminds ya' of the Crocodile, don't he?" she asked her brother. Hook took in the man's stance and hand gestures, which were not unlike those of an eccentric, Enchanted-Forest Rumplestiltskin. His eye twitched slightly.

"Aye, he does." To the assembly of strangers, he asked, "Which one of you is Jack Sparrow?"

The group looked at the strangers and promptly pointed. Jack looked around, then glanced to Killian and said "There should be a 'Captain' in there somewhere."

"Well, Jack Captain Sparrow," Davey said, "You have something I require."

"If it's money, I'm fresh out."

Killian shifted slightly forward, and the candlelight gleamed off his stand-in hand. "We seek a compass," he pointed with his hook as he added, "that rumor has you possess."

Jack smiled in an awkward, sheepish sort of way. "Sorry to disappoint lad, but I don't have it."

"Really." Ellyn said.

"Aye, gambled it away a fortnight ago. Rum has a way of making a man forget his lack of valuables."

Sparrow had barely finished the statement when he gasped, suddenly unable to breath. He choked as he struggled to suck in air that didn't quite reach his lungs.

Killian glanced to his sister, who'd crossed her arms over her chest and wore a look of concentration. "You're lying." she said flatly.

Barbossa and Elizabeth, whose stance told Hook that they were familiar with Sparrow, were shooting looks between Ellyn and the suffocating pirate.

"Enough, Ellyn." he said calmly. Nothing changed; Jack put a hand on the table and another on his throat, coughing and gasping.

"Ellyn." He repeated, voice dangerous this time. Swann drew a knife, and Ellyn's gaze flickered to her. Jack was wheezing now, and Killian wrapped his hook around his sister's elbow. "Davey!" he snapped.

Jack sucked in air, suddenly able to breathe. Ellyn Davina shot her brother an annoyed look. "You're no fun since you started hangin' around with Swan." To Sparrow, she said, "Do not lie to me again. Where is the compass?"

"Don't have the foggiest." was the reply. Killian placed his one hand on Ellyn's shoulder before she could react.

"Listen, mate." Hook said, trying to remember to be on his best behaviour- to be a hero, for Emma. "We just need a hand getting back home."

"Literally, eh lad?" Jack quipped. Killian ground his teeth together, glaring at the other captain.

Ellyn laughed. "More and more like the Dark One by the minute." Hook shot her a withering glare. "What? You want me to play nice, I'll play nice. It'll take us ten times longer, but hey, nothing promotes sibling bonding like being stuck in a strange land together." The last part was twinged with bitter sarcasm. Killian rounded on her.

"We're doing this my way and you're goin' to hold yer tongue about it. If I listened ta' you the only thing in this room would be corpses."

"Aye, and we would have the compass and be long gone! But by all means, lets cater to the locals. Whats another hundred years, right?."

"Not to interrupt this lovely family moment," Jack said. Both Jones shot him an agitated look. "But you seem to be people of... lets say specialized means. We happen to be on rocky terms with someone of similar... talents."

"Just what are you getting at, mate?" Hook said as Jack began to wade through the people gathered around the table.

"Aye, what are ye gettin' at, Sparrow?" Barbossa asked, a warning note in his voice. Ellyn sent him a silencing look.

Sparrow made a motion with his hand, arriving only feet from Killian, and Ellyn. The latter's lip curled with disdain.

"I merely suggest that we help each other out. You want the compass, and I'll be happy to hand it over once it comes back into my possession. By my reckoning, that puts you in our debt, which you can repay by making sure we don't, well, die. Savvy?"

"Counter proposal." Ellyn said. "You give us the compass, and I won't, well, kill you. Savvy?"

"Davey." Killian warned, albeit half-heartedly. He looked back to Jack. "We'll take your deal, mate." He extended his good hand to shake, but drew it back as Jack reached for it. "Double cross us, and you'd better hope my hook finds your heart before Ellyn does."

"Me? Double cross? Honestly mate, you don't really know me at all."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Was Ellyn's dry response. "Now, what's this about a Lord Beckett being in command of my Dutchman?"

That opened up a cacophony of questions, which were met with vague answers, which raised more questions. After a rather long while, the pirate lords knew that their new allies were Captain Hook and Captain Davina "Davey" Jones, and were apparently quite fearsome pirates in their native land. Killian and Ellyn were slowly filled in on the situation pirates across the realm were facing, and sat with curious minds as Barbossa made his ploy for the court to release Calypso, a sea goddess they'd trapped in human form. Ellyn and Killian were silently opposed to that; they'd both dealt with their share of sea deities, and had found that they tended to be an unruly bunch.

After several minutes of politics, a brawl, two gunshots, and a man bringing forth the Pirate Codex (Ellyn looked between Teaque and Jack and uttered a horrified "Oh God, there's two of them), a vote was taken. Elizabeth Swan, by popular vote of two, was elected Pirate King. Swan's name, of course, prompted some mocking ("Another Swan with a thing for pirates. You should go buy her a drink, Ian. She's just your type- blonde."), which Hook responded to with sarcastic, faked laughs and eye rolls.

The minute Jack cast his vote, securing Elizabeth's position as King, shouts and arguments erupted. They were silenced when Teague strummed a guitar string too hard, causing it to snap loudly. Ellyn was amused with how easily he was able to intimidate a group of the most hardened pirates.

"Very well." Said Mistress Cheng, the only female pirate lord besides their new King. "What say you Captain Swann, King of the Brethren Court?"

Elizabeth looked around at the gathered pirates with calculating eyes. "Prepare every vessel that floats. At dawn, we're at war."

Cheers went up, naive men excited for the newness of this situation and for the oncoming battle. Hook remained grimly silent, and Ellyn shot him a glance.

"Ready to do this, little brother?"

"Aye. It'll be simple."

She laughed. "Now, where have I heard that before?"

* * *

William Turner said, "My actions were my own and to my own purpose. Jack had nothing to do with it."

Before him stood his fiance, plus Jack and Barbossa. They'd opted for parlay after seeing the extent of Beckett's armada.

"Well spoke. Listen to the tool." Jack said, happy to help along his own defense.

"Will, I've been aboard the Dutchman. I know the burden you bear." Elizabeth said, ignoring the presence of the others. "But I fear that cause is lost."

"No cause is lost, if there is but one fool left to fight for it." Will replied, looking to Jack and leaving no illusion to whom had put that saying into his head.

To Jack, Beckett said, "If Turner was not acting on your behalf, then how did he come to give me this?"

He held up the compass, and Jack's mouth twitched in a inconvenienced sort of way. Beckett tossed it to him, but it never made it; Davina and Hook appeared in between the two groups at that minute, and the latter was able to stretch out his hand and catch it.

"Thanks, mate." Killian said, pocketing it. Ellyn, however, was more focused on the squid-man standing in a bucket of water.

"So this is the other Davy Jones." She said, arms crossed over her chest as she eyed him appraisingly. "I'm not impressed."

"You'll keep your tongue, pup." Davy snapped.

"I'll do nothing of the sort." Davey huffed. She looked at Jack. "Good luck with the fish, mate. We're off."

Elizabeth took a threatening step forward, realizing that the two siblings meant to leave before the battle began.

"We had a deal." she snarled. Ellyn smiled thinly.

"So we did. Sparrow!"

"Aye?"

"We'll be 'round for another few minutes. If you need me, call." Then she and Hook were gone in a swirl of smoke.

It was many minutes later when the pair were needed. They had been sitting upon the upper sail masts, watching Calypso being released and the battle start. The Black Pearl was losing badly to the Dutchman, and Jack called just as the two ships locked masts over a giant whirlpool. Davey ported them both away before they could be crushed by the colliding masts.

They arrived on the Dutchman to chaos, immediatly having to draw swords. Hook's blade crossed with a fish-mans, and a double-edged sword sung as Ellyn cut down the creature's fellow crewman.

"Jones! Get Jones!" Jack shouted. Killian and Ellyn looked up to see Elizabeth locked in combat with Davy Jones.

"Ian, cover me!" Ellyn shouted, leaping for her counterpart and swinging for his head. He turned just in time to block her blade. They clashed once, twice, three times, and though the two were evenly matched, Davy was using his superior reach to back Ellyn to the deck railing.

Will, however, had just pinned his father to said railing, and as Ellyn ducked under a swing to the head, Turner drove his sword through Davy's chest. The squid turned to face him and laughed."

"Did ya forget? I'm a heartless wretch."

Then he drew the sword from his body and used it to stab Will Turner.

"So am I." Ellyn said, severing Davy's left arm from his body with one swing. He screamed and stumbled, allowing Ellyn a view of a very conflicted Jack, who glanced from the heart he now held to his dying friend. "There's a time and a place to not be a pirate, Sparrow!" she shouted, thinking of her own brother.

"Davey!" Killian called, the masts over them creaking ominously and threatening to fall. Then they were both moving towards the railing, Killian drawing the bean from his vest and flinging it into the whirlpool. The very next step had them both jumping onto the deck railing, leaping off as the portal turned the vortex beneath them green.

As they fell, Killian clasped the compass in his hand and thought of Storybrooke.

They landed on the town's docks, face down, knocking all the air from their lungs.

Killian lifted his head from the wood planks and said, "I could use a glass of rum."


	4. For the Sake of Family: Prologue

**A/N: Hello! As you know if you follow For the Sake of Family, I planned on adding a prologue to the story, but couldn't figure out a easy, quick way to do it that didn't involve a chain of replacing ALL the chapters (at best) and complete story deletion and republication (at worst). **

**So here's the bit of Ellyn's family history posing as a prologue.**

**Oh, and as a side announcement, anything established in either this or FTSOF will continue to be canon for these two fics regardless of whether season 5, and it's take on Arthurian legend, disproves them. (For the record, I'm still very mad about the writing quality for season 4- excuse my language, but among other things, they seemed to be just pulling random stuff out of their asses- and as such, I don't know if I'm going to let handsome knights bait me into watching this season. So I might not even know if my up-coming sections of Camelot adventures holds true to OUAT, nor will I care either way.)**

**Anyway, enough with the angry rant! Enjoy. **

* * *

**Prologue**

Elizabeth sat down on the edge of the bed, smoothing the hair back from her grandson's face. He was a young boy, with the brown hair and dark eyes that ran strongly in their family. Her daughter's oldest boy, Phelan was named in honor of his aunt, lost when she was babe. He bore a strong resemblance to both his lost aunt and his estranged, curse uncle, a similarity in more than just the shared meaning of his aunt's name and the three's near-black eyes; he was fiery and strong-willed, everything Elizabeth's daughter had shown signs of being, along with being a deep-thinker and brave, as Elizabeth's only son was.

"Tell me a story, Nana." The boy requested sleepily.

"What do you wish to hear, lad?"

"Tell me about the wizard and the princess."

Elizabeth smiled; the story of their ancestors was Phelan's favorite, as it had been her own when she was small.

"Once upon a time, here in Listenoise, there lived a prince and princess of the kingdom. Their father was a kind and just man, and raised the boy and girl as siblings, even though the little prince was not of his blood. As the children became adults, they were told of the prince's heritage, because, though the oldest, the young man wasn't the king's heir.

After this revelation, the siblings grew apart. The brother, looking for another way to the throne, threw off the title of prince and became the king's general, and went off to war. The revelation of his parentage had turned him bitter and angry, and he secretly wished to return one day to claim the kingdom for his own, as he had thought for so long it would. While returning for a visit years later, the princess, long since having stopped seeing her father's ward as her brother, was struck by how handsome the king's adopted son had become. She thought herself instantly in love, and asked her father to marry them. Her childhood brother was eager for a wedding, seeing his way to gain the crown, but the king was unconvinced. He set out a series of nigh-impossible trials for the princess to complete if she wished to be betrothed to the young general. If she completed them, he said, she would have shown the determination and drive that could come from true love.

Knowing she was unable to complete the tasks set before her, the princess sought out the help of magic. On the outskirts of the castle-city Corbin lived a sorcerer. He had been born and raised in Listenoise, and grown up poor during hard times. When he was grown, the wizard, then just a man, sailed to the land of Mysthaven, and returned with unheralded power. Despite the sorcerer's widely known monstrous nature, the princess set out to find this man and secure his help.

The wizard heard her story and agreed to help, as it was his nature to make deals, though he warned the girl that his magic had a price she would later have to be willing to pay. They set off to complete the king's trials, and grew close along the way. When the princess returned to her father, triumphant, he was willing to marry her to the general, but she declined. She had learned what love was during the trials, and knew it wasn't the infatuation she had felt for her once-brother.

The general was furious that he no longer had a claim to the throne. He attempted to seduce her to change her decision, and forced himself on her when she rejected his advances. After her brother left, the princess, hurt and sobbing, called out to her wizard, knowing he could hear the cries of desperate souls.

He appeared, and when he had calmed her enough to learn of what happened, the wizard flew into a rage. He went to the king and had the princess recount her ordeal, and threatened to destroy the kingdom if the ex-prince was not punished. The king, both angered by his daughter's assault and fearing for his people, had the general hunted down and brought back to palace. In the courtyard the next day, the king, with the wizard beside him, had the young man tied between two posts and torn apart by a pack of wild dogs.

But the prince had not been idle in the time that passed between the assault and his capture. He had sought out the wizard Mathonwy, the king of a neighboring land and an ally of the general. With Mathonwy's help, the general cursed his sister, that if she had children, they would be born abominations. As he died, the prince told the king and the dark wizard of this curse, prophesying that the beast would make the same sound as the dogs that would kill him.

After the prince's death, the princess and the king feared for the succession of the throne, for they feared that the prophecy was true and no heir would be produced that would be worthy of the crown. The dark wizard, who had been secretly courting the princess in the months since her brother's death, was unconcerned about the throne succession. That is, until the princess discovered she was pregnant."

"Who was the father?" Phelan asked, right where he always did.

"Ah. That was subject to debate. The king knew nothing of his daughter's love for the dark wizard, and so thought his late ward the father. The wizard believed the child to be his."

"Who was it really, Nana?" Phelan interrupted, something he didn't normally do. It was a surprise, but Elizabeth smiled.

"The dark wizard. My grandpa is our blood."

It was something that had only recently been proven; Elizabeth's lost daughter possessed the magic that had remained dormant in the family's blood for generations, a power that could have only come from the child's many-greats grandfather.

"So what happened after they found out she was pregnant?"

"The dark wizard, determined to remove the curse from his child, set out to find Mathonwy and reverse it. Mathonwy was a strong magician, from a family of strong magicians, but no one could stand against Grandpop's power. At the threat of the death of his own newborn child, Math, Mathonwy consulted with the wizard about the curse. Originally, the curse was a bastardization of the bloodline curse of the born wolf-men."

"Is that why we have the power of the wolf, Nana?" Phelan interjected. He had only recently learned that he still bore the blood that had been diluted by Mathonwy's curse, and that he would still be a lycan even if he died before the Curse of the Barking Beast passed down the family line.

"Yes, Phelan. But this was different. Diluted. With it, the child and any of it's future siblings would shift into a monster much deadlier than a wolf while in the womb, and be born into the world having never known a human life.

There was no reversing these effects completely, so the pair of wizards worked to limit its backlash. They were able to shift the curse, from an infliction of the princess's womb to a hereditary curse of the blood, as it is in lycanthropy. They were also able to set back the time at which the curse set in. When they were done, only the princess's firstborn would bear the effects of the curse. This child, the dark wizard's child, would be born human, and enjoy a human life. When the child reached adulthood, the curse would be able to take hold, transforming he or she into the monster they were destined at birth to be. When they died, the curse would pass on, to take root in the nearest living relative.

The princess gave birth to a healthy baby boy, and all seemed well. The king, however, eventually learned of his daughter's relation with the dark wizard, and was enraged. He disowned his eldest grandson, saying that a boy who had possibly inherited the darkest aspects of the wizard and the curse was not to be trusted. The boy was raised in Corbin by his father, often visiting his mother in the palace.

Under the king's order, the princess was married to a nobleman, despite her protests and the threats of the wizard. After many days of tension, the princess had resigned herself to the fact that the kingdom would need a legitimate heir, and she wed the nobleman, though she loved the wizard and continued to see him and their son. After a few years, the nobleman sired the princess's second and last child, a son who would later take the throne. Though the years offered several hardships, the princess had her wizard and sons, who she loved with all her heart, and she was content until the day she died."

"What about the sons, Nana? What happened to them?"

"The son of the wizard grew into a strong and clever man, who came to be the steward of Corbin Castle and guard the secrets there, as his father had been helping to do in the years since his son's birth. The son of the nobleman took the crown after his mother retired, and began to rule as a fair king.

All was not well, however. The son of the wizard fell in love young and had a child, but the curse that had lain dormant in him for years finally seized control when he turned twenty. He became the Barking Beast, and though he resisted it, he found out the nature of his curse. The Beast was not just that of a monster: it was one bound by the hunt. Unless it was seeking prey or was the prey, it's life drained from it. The wizard's son eventually gave into the action that would save him, and began to kill travelers who dared to brave the roads at night.

The nobleman's son, the newly crowned king, was petitioned by his people to stop this monster. His grandfather and mother told him the story of the creature's origins, that it was his own half-brother, and that killing it would only pass the affliction down to wait in the soul of the wizard's newborn grandson.

While the king despaired what to do, his grandfather came to him in secret, and implored him to hunt down and kill the Beast. With his mother both old and unable to wield any weapon, it was the young king's duty to right her mistake, and do what she should have done when the monster was born. At first, the king denied his grandfather's request, but more attacks came, and one day the Beast killed the king's lover.

It was then, in his grief, that the king of Listenoise heeded his grandfather's advice, and sought to destroy the Barking Beast. Both were masters of the hunt, and they pursued each other without much headway for ten years. But the young king was smart, and in the first years he sought the wizard's grandson and daughter-in-law, seeking to eradicate the bloodline to keep the curse from one day passing on and creating a new monster.

The dark wizard learned of the king's hunt when his assassins made an attempt on the wizard's grandson. Enraged, the wizard went to the capitol and sought the king, intending to kill him. The king's mother, still the wizard's love, intervened, calming him and begging him not to harm her son. The dark wizard was unable to bring himself to deny her request, and stormed from the castle. He took his grandson and daughter-in-law and hid them away in a small town a day's ride from Corbin, where the king's men wouldn't think to find them. The same town we still live in now.

After thirty years of hunting each other, the king finally killed his half-brother. The curse passed to the wizard's grandson, now a grown man with two children of his, and took effect immediately. He was the Barking Beast for six decades, surviving one of his children. One, his eldest daughter, died before she could have any children. The other, my mother, had only me. The curse passed to her, and still claims her today.

Perhaps it will be mine one day. Perhaps it will be yours. But until then, remember what may await you. Love your family, and live without regrets."

Phelan scrunched his nose slightly; he liked the story for the history and the drama, not the life lesson that his grandmother always threw in.

"Yes, Nana." He intoned. Elizabeth smiled, and made to rise. "Nana?"

"Yes, lad?"

"What are my aunt and uncle like?"

Elizabeth froze. His only aunt and uncle were the two children she had lost; the latter was her eldest child, the former her second by a different man. If it weren't for her great grandfather, the dark wizard that still lived after well over a century, she would know nothing of them or their fates. What she little she did know had only been learned in the last few years.

Elizabeth swallowed her feeling and answered the boy. "My son had the heart of a wolf. He was a wanderer, a hunter." _A restless soul, never at peace,_ was how the dark wizard had put it. "His mind was sharp, and his loyalties deep."

"And my auntie?" Phelan prompted after several seconds of silence.

"I know alittle more of her." Grandpop, as the entire family called him (the appropriate 'greats' got tedious), had partially raised her oldest daughter. "She was a creature with one foot on land and one in the sea. She loved and angered deeply, but was not found of those outside of family. And she was protective of what she cared about."

_I pity the fool to try and harm one of her brothers,_ were Grandpop's actual words.

There was a stretch of silence as Phelan considered these words, then nodded, satisfied.

"Goodnight, Phelan." Elizabeth said.

"'Night, Nana."

Just then, from elsewhere in the cottage, there was a knock at the door, and the sound of Elaine exchanging words with someone. Elizabeth's sole remaining child came to fetch her just as she stepped out of Phelan's bedroom and shut the door.

"Mum, there's a man here for you."

"Who is it?"

"He says his name is Tor."


	5. Comatose (or) Don't Wake Me

**A/N: A piece of fluff I've been working on a bit at a time for acouple months now. It's named after the Skillet songs, because they're one of my favorite bands and the chorus kinda-sorta fits. **

**Also, after delays from other fics and life, I'm finally working on the next chapter of FTSOF. Hopefully it'll be done in a week or two. **

* * *

**Comatose/Don't Wake Me**

Ellyn had fallen asleep again.

Rumplestiltskin's lips quirked upward. It always amused him. She had been trained by a Dark One, had burned a castle down in rage, had several times made grown men feet taller than her tremble; and a few minutes ago, she had fallen asleep with her cheek leaning on her hand, only for it to slowly slide off her knuckles to let her head bang against the wooden tabletop. She'd jolted up, forehead red from impact, and continued reading as though nothing had happened. If she'd heard his cackle of laughter, she hadn't shown it.

And now, not even five minutes later, she assumed the same position.

He rose and circled around to her side of the table, sliding the book out from under her free hand and closing it with a flick of his wrist. Ellyn stirred slightly; she was usually a light sleeper, when she slept at all. It'd been nearly five days since he'd repeated what had quickly become somewhat of a nightly ritual, and he doubted she'd done so much as napped in that time.

He shook his head, amusement fading. It wasn't healthy, even for her. She was going to drive herself into the ground, get herself killed. Again.

Rumple still wasn't happy about that particular incident. The first time, months ago, he hadn't had the time to process it; he'd been passed out himself, and hadn't woken up until his magic had healed him of the damaged acquired in Avonlea. She had followed suit mere minutes later, and, other than some curiosity and the research that followed, that had been the end of it. The second time, though…

He could remember the explosion with stark detail. How it had thrown her into the wall like a ragdoll, how pain clouded her eyes in the moments after. How those same dark eyes had looked when her heart stopped beating.

It had taken her two days to wake up. Two days in which he waited, looking for signs of improvement, finding discomfort in how she looked when she was like that. Ellyn was not a person to look peaceful; even in her sleep, she fidgeted or made faces. She was restless in everything. The closest she came to peace was the moments when she would gaze into her hearth and watch the flames, and even then something about her eyes gave away constant thought, constant searching. But for two days, she had been utterly still.

It made Rumplestiltskin decidedly uncomfortable. If there was anything that was not natural, it was the little wolf being so unmoving.

The longer she slept, the more her stillness had bothered him, and the more his annoyance at the situation grew. It was a juvenile mistake, one that should have never happened in the first place. Ellyn was reckless; she thought herself invincible, and her utter stupidity stemming from that notion had had him pacing his halls or waiting at her bedside for two days.

Rumple had been the Dark One for nearly three decades. He did what he wanted; he got what he wanted. Pacing his castle while another mage occupied his bedroom was nowhere near the list of things he desired in his life. He had been sorely tempted, when at his most frustrated, to wash his hands of the situation, deposit her back in her own home and save himself the trouble. They had an… alliance, of sorts, but those were things that were discarded and reformed hundreds of times every day across the realms. An alliance now guaranteed nothing about the future. If things of power weren't such a fascinating distraction, he would have taken his leave of the arrangement, he told himself.

But he didn't- though he'd been sure to give a voice to his growing agitation when Ellyn finally woke.

He pushed his thoughts away as he bent and scooped her up, one hand under her back and another under her knees. This was where, despite the outcome of every other night such as this, he took the most care; she was a light sleeper, and easily woken. But, as every time before, she didn't wake, even as she was picked up. If anything, she relaxed, unconsciously shifting inward to rest her head on his upper arm.

Over the years, the contemplation of many phenomena had had the time to come and go through his mind, but this one lingered. In her waking hours, he had seen many different expressions on her face, watching him as he sometimes watched her; in her waking hours, especially during their first month in close proximity, his presence seemed to put her ill at ease. But when she slept, that disposition seemed to be reversed. The first time he'd picked her up to carry her to her bed, he'd nearly been startled into dropping her when she'd curled into his chest.

As soon as she'd relaxed, Rumplestiltskin eased out of the room, making sure to sidestep through the doorway so as not to bang Ellyn's head on the doorframe; he'd come close to that once, and it had nearly given him a heart attack. He wasn't doing anything wrong, per say, in carrying her to bed, but he was fairly sure there would be no way to adequately explain to her and her pride why he was carrying her around damsel-in-distress style- and there would certainly be no living it down.

No, the resulting conversation if she found out about this would be tedious at best. It better for everyone if she never knew. And by everyone, he meant himself.

He proceeded down the hallways, only stopping to freeze on the spot when Ellyn mumbled something in her sleep. When he was sure she wasn't waking, he continued to her room. Magic opened the door and pulled the covers back, and he sat on the edge of the bed and eased her onto it. He lingered for a second, making sure she was still asleep.

He was just about to stand when she said his name; he jumped almost out of his skin.

"Rum."

But, he quickly realized, she wasn't awake. The word was mumbled and slurred, and not uttered consciously. Almost as soon as he realized that, a grin spread over his face. She was dreaming about him? Oh, she was never going to live that down.

Rumple was so caught up in his amusement that he didn't comprehend what was happening until it had. Ellyn turned onto her side and curled in, hand stretching out slightly to latch onto his shirt, head snuggling into his side.

The Dark One froze, staring down at her in muted horror. He was sure that she'd wake any moment, and then she'd- well, he had no idea what she'd do, but it wouldn't be good for him. Carrying her to her bed was something he could play off as chivalry or practicality; appearing to lounge next to her while she slept was, well, creepy, and if she woke up now.. Rumplestiltskin held his breath, waiting for her to relax again so he could slip away.

"Rum." Ellyn said again, and her body tensed against his. "Rum… no…" He brow furrowed, hand tightening on his shirt in a death-grip. "Rum." she said for the fourth time, a desperate, pleading quality to the mumbled name. There was fear in that word.

The Dark One frowned. She wasn't dreaming; she was having a nightmare. A nightmare that obviously involved him.

So, was he the thing she was afraid of, or someone she was afraid for?

It was a small thing, but it made a large difference, and to him especially- even if he ignored the tugging in his chest that told him that.

Carefully, he stretched his arm out and laid it across her shoulder, letting magic trickle from the touch, and after a second some of the tension left her body. Her grip on his shirt eased, only to tighten again when he tried to ease away. Rumplestiltskin was momentarily annoyed at his inability to escape, but it vanished the moment he saw Ellyn's face contort into a grimace again.

Still slightly annoyed, though now in a more subdued way, he relaxed back into the bed, focusing on his magic and resigning himself to a long wait. Ellyn hadn't slept properly in five days; he could keep the nightmare at bay until it passed, and give her some rest. And, once it had passed, he had a much better chance of slipping away undetected.

He stretched out, settling in for the wait, and Ellyn shifted closer, body pressing into his side as her arm let go of his shirt to drape across his stomach. Rumplestiltskin smiled thinly, bemused; she was certainly making herself comfortable.

Not that he was complaining. The bed was comfortable, and Ellyn radiated body heat. Before he knew it, his own eyelids were sliding closed.

He didn't remember falling asleep, but the next thing he knew, a bird was singing somewhere outside the window, and greyish pre-dawn light was creeping into the room. For a second, he didn't realize where he was, or with whom; he simply lingered in the peaceful place the moment created, where he was aware of someone laying partially on top of him, but uncaring of it.

As he woke up more, his alarm rose. Ellyn, her head resting on his chest and most of her torso draped across his, began to wake as well. Rumple held his breath, putting a bit of magic into lulling her back to sleep. The moment she settled back down, he teleported away.

It was a move he'd been trying to avoid the night before, because it was almost sure to wake her; simply disappearing out from under someone who'd been comfortably asleep on top of him wasn't going to go unnoticed. Sure enough, not long after he'd resumed his place at the table in Ellyn's study, she strolled in.

"Sleep well, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin asked as she plopped into her chair and opened the book still resting on the table. She glanced up, evaluating whether or not the question was sarcastic.

"Yeah, actually. Better than I have in years."


End file.
